I'm Fine
by DoomedToBeACrazyFanGirlForever
Summary: Most people only have to wear one mask: the mask that hides their deepest feelings and secrets. Dick, on the other hand, has to wear three: The mask that hides his past, the mask that hides his superhero identity, and the mask that hides who he really is. He may have been trained by the unbreakable Batman, but Dick is far from emotionless. How much can a twelve year old take?


_"I'm fine."_ Those words had become a mantra for the young Boy Wonder. He'd said it to Bruce that morning at breakfast.

—·—

_"Is there something wrong Dick?" Bruce slid into the breakfast table's chair, pouring himself a quick bowel of cereal. "You're normally pretty chipper on Friday mornings."_

_"Yeah, I'm fine." Dick took a small bite of his fried eggs. "Just thinking." _

And that had been that. Bruce really was a good "dad"; he made an effort to make sure his ward was always cared for. It wasn't his fault he forgot some things occasionally.

—·—

_"I'm fine."_ Dick had said it to Barbra at school.

—·—

_"Psst, Dick, you okay?" Barbra nudged him as he took notes at his desk. "You seem kinda gloomy today." _

_"Yeah, I'm fine." Dick didn't look up from his desk. "Just tired." _

And that had been that. The teacher kept on droning on about Napoleon, and Barbra hadn't brought it up again. Barbra was a good friend, and it wasn't her fault Dick kept some things from her.

—·—

_"I'm fine."_ He had said it to M'gaan that afternoon.

—·—

_"Robin!" The smiling Martian levitated over to him as he exited the zeta beam. "How are you?"_

_"I'm fine." Dick forced a smile to keep the green girl happy. "How about you?"_

_"I'm wonderful. Would you like to try a cookie? I made some while you were at school." _

_"Nah." The boy wonder stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled towards his room. "I gotta do some homework."_

And that had been that. Miss Martian really was a sweet girl; she was not to blame for not noticing when Dick had a bad day. Human emotions were confusing for her still.

—·—

_"I'm fine."_ He was telling it to Wally now as the speedster flopped on his bed with an armful of junk food.

"Batman may have taught you to lie, but you suck at it when you're upset." Kid Flash dumped the snacks next to where Dick laid the bed, sorting it into piles. "Plus I know what day it is. You're not fooling anyone. Good thing I brought snacks to keep your mind off of it!"

_I've fooled three people already._ Dick resisted the urge to speak what was on his mind. No one liked a grouch.

"I'm not that hungry. Thanks though." Dick rested his head on his hands, staring despondently at the ceiling.

Wally flopped down next to his friend, popping open a bag of chips. "Good thing I like to eat a lot."

They lay in silence for a spell, with no sound other than the soft munches of the speedster.

"I'm tired." Dick finally broke the silence.

"Well then take a nap" Wally's answer held a bit of jest, but Dick ignored it.

"Not a literal tied, I'm tired of wearing a mask."

"Oh." Wally sat up, setting his current snack on Dick's bedside table. "That's a bit tougher to solve, huh?" He scratched his head, thinking for a second before continuing. "Well, you can always ask The Bats if you can stop wearing it around the team. I mean I know you have a secret identity and all, but if it's making you unhappy, you can probably stop. I know The Bats hates seeing you unhappy, so—"

"No." Dick interrupted the speedster's spiel. "I mean, I'm tired of wearing all sorts of different masks, not all of them literal." As he spoke, the Boy Wonder discarded his sunglasses onto the bedroom floor, aqua blues blinking slightly at the light change. "I mean, the mask sucks, sure, but I can handle one mask. I'm just tired of having to keep up so many at once."

"What do you mean?" Now that he could look his friend in the eye, Wally did so, frowning when he saw how discontented and dismal his friend looked without his shades.

"I mean, I have to hid my identities, both of them, and I have to hide my past, I have to hide my feelings, and I have to hide — I don't know — I have to hide who I really am I guess." Dick finally sat up and faced his friend, eyebrows furrowed slightly with poorly masked sadness.

"Well…" Wally frowned, trying to think of a solution for his friend, but his brain wasn't cooperating. After a pause, he finally spoke, giving the only answer he could think of. "Well you don't have to hide anything from me." He realized how corny it sounded, but it was the only thing he could seem to think of.

"I —" Dick started to speak, but cut himself off with a small, sad smile.

But now the emotional walls were broken, and Dick didn't realize it until tears were streaming silently down his face. With his small smile morphing into a pitiable pout, he choked out the words that had been on his mind all day.

"I miss them."

It was the anniversary of his parents' deaths, one of Dick's least favorite days of the years. But Wally knew it, and he had been prepared. Reaching out to his friend, he pulled the boy into a hug.

Robin never really seemed that small, but there were times when Wally was confronted by the fact that his best friend was quite small — fragile, and human. It was easy to forget that the unofficial leader of their team was human, when he spent his days fighting villains and sparring with metas, but Dick was human, whether or not the boy liked to admit it.

Neither of the boys knew how long it had been when Dick finally pulled away from Wally's chest, wiping his mostly dry eyes.

"Sorry for crying all over you and getting your shirt wet." Dick gave a half-hearted sniffle as he motioned to the speedster's now damp t-shirt.

But Wally laughed it off. "Nah, that's what friends are for. Plus, I mean, it isn't every day that you see the fearless Boy Wonder cry, maybe your tears are good luck!"

Dick laughed. "You're a dork," he snorted with a nudge.

"You know it."


End file.
